A producer for Avatar 2 shared why they believe there's at least one advantage to watching The Way of Water at home instead of in the theaters.
The Way of Water was released on December 6 and ended up becoming the third highest-grossing film of all time with a total of 2.32 billion USD.
One of the biggest draws of the movie is the immaculate viewing experience it provides with its technical achievements and mind-boggling effects. Some of these, such as the groundbreaking 3D, are only available to those who watched it in movie theaters—an option that is no longer available.
While the film was released digitally, it still hasn't made its way onto physical media or even a streaming service. Though, James Cameron did previously share his excitement for making "the best at-home viewing quality possible on 4K Ultra HD" available.
The Benefit of Watching Avatar on Disney+
In an interview with Apple, Avatar: The Way of Water producer Jon Landau shared his thoughts on experiencing the movie at home instead of in the theater.
The producer was quick to point out that being able to watch the film on Disney+ will allow audiences to “see something they’ve never seen before—something they didn’t have time to see in a theater,” thanks to the ability to rewind and pause.
Landau admitted that they know full well that despite their push for theater viewing, over the years, plenty of people will be experiencing in the comfort of their homes:
"First of all, we know no matter how successful a movie is at the box office, over the years, more people are going to see it outside of the theaters."
He went on to explain that "there's so much in every frame of The Way of Water:"
"People turn to entertainment today to escape the world we’re in, and there’s no better place to escape to than Pandora, because they get something out of the film emotionally. There’s so much in every frame of 'The Way Of Water' that when people watch it on Disney+, they’re going to see something they’ve never seen before—something they didn’t have time to see in a theater."
The producer joked that the experience will still be memorable so long as audiences "[aren't] doing five other things [at the same time]:"
"For people who haven’t seen it yet, their experience is going to be 'Wow, that’s the best presentation I’ve seen on my TV, on my iPad, wherever,' as long as they’re not doing five other things! [Laughs]"
Even without the intended experience of a movie theater, director James Cameron isn't against watching Way of Water at home. The filmmaker previously stated that one can still have a good experience on a TV:
“If you watch ‘Way of Water’ at home on a reasonably large flat-screen TV with a decent sound system and you sit close enough and that way across the room, you’re going to have a good experience.”
Cameron elaborated on NPR, explaining that provided one has "a reasonably large flat-screen TV" and a "decent sound system," the viewing experience will be great:
"If you watch 'Way of Water' at home on a reasonably large flat-screen TV with a decent sound system and you sit close enough and that way across the room, you're going to have a good experience."
Treasuring the Pause Button For The Way of Water on
Fans these days love to inspect and comb through projects frame-by-frame. This is especially true for films from Marvel Studios and DC Studios.
While Avatar 2 doesn't have the same wider connected cinematic universe those two examples do, there's so much to appreciate about every second of the experience.
The big question is: how will James Cameron and his team raise the bar for the third film? What big technical feats do they have waiting to show off to the world?
Not much is known about what the next entry will have, but official concept art revealed the inclusion of some desert and snowy biomes. There will also be a tribe of Fire Na'Vi, who sound a little meaner than the usual Pandora locals.
If waiting for the third movie seems unbearable, there's an Avatar video game on the horizon titled Frontier of Pandora that could help fill the gap.
Avatar: Way of Water hits Disney+ on June 7, while Avatar 3 is scheduled to debut in theaters worldwide on December 20, 2024.
